Central ward profile

The central ward is home to 11,115 people, or 4.8% of Barnsley’s total population.

Almost 69% of residents are of working age. This is higher than both the borough average of 64.1% and the national average of 62.5%. Only 14.7% are of pensionable age. As well as this, more than 2% lower than both the borough and national averages.

95.7% of the residents are white, lower than the borough average of 97.9%. This is much higher than the national average of 85.4%.  Just over 90% were born in the UK. The largest minority group consists of black, African, Caribbean, and black British residents, who make up 1.7% of the total. This is again higher than the average across Barnsley, which is only 0.5%, but less than half the national average of 3.5%.

Almost two thirds of residents have a religion, most of which are Christian. Muslims make up 1.1% of the people. More than double the Barnsley average but less than a quarter of the national average. Over 27% of residents have no religion. Over 3% higher than the borough and national averages.

5.3% of households contain nobody who has English as a main language. This is four times as many as the borough average and higher too than the national average of 4.4%.

Household information

38.2% of central ward adult residents are single This is more than 6% higher than the borough average. Just over 40% are married. Lower than the national and borough averages. 11.9% are divorced or formerly in a same sex civil partnership which is now legally dissolved.  This is compared to a borough average of 10.5% and a national average of 9%.

Many more of central ward’s households consist of one person when compared to the national and borough averages. 58% are one family households, more than 8% fewer than the borough average and lower too than the national and regional averages. 12.5% of lone parent householders are men, almost 3% more than the national average.

57.1% of homes are privately owned, much fewer than the borough average. Only 14.1% of households live in social rented housing, almost 7% less than the borough average. On the other hand, 27.1% of householders rent from private landlords. This is more than double the borough average. This is much more than the national average. Over 98% of homes are centrally heated but 35.2% have no access to a car or van. This is almost 10% higher than the national average.

Health

77.2% of residents describe their health as being ‘very good’ or ‘good’, compared to a national average of 81.4%. On the other hand, 7.4% think their health is ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’. This is 2% more than the national average. 2.9% of residents provide 50 hours or more of unpaid care per week. This is less than the borough average but slightly higher than the national average.

Education and work

30.5% of the central ward have no educational qualifications, 8% higher than the national average. 36.9% are employed in routine or semi routine occupations, compared to a national average of 25%. Only 3.9% of workers are in higher professional occupations, less than half the national average. Wholesale and retail trades form the largest source of employment at 17.9%, which is slightly higher than the borough average.